Intercalation in 2D materials and in situ studies

Shortly after the discovery of graphene in the early 2000s, 2D materials quickly became an area of great interest for materials researchers. These 2D materials revolutionized many aspects of current research, particularly in emerging physics, opto-electronic devices, catalysis, batteries and more. Intercalation, a powerful part of the property-tuning toolkit of 2D materials, here refers to the insertion of foreign species (atoms, ions, or molecules) into the layer spaces (vdW gaps) of 2D materials or their vdW heterostructures.

SKLMP member Prof. Zhiyuan Zeng, an assistant professor from the Department of Materials Science and Engineering at City University of Hong Kong, has recently led and co-authored a review entitled " Intercalation in 2D materials and in situ studies," which has been published in the prestigious academic journal "Nature Reviews Chemistry". Previous review articles on intercalation of 2D materials mostly from a macro perspective discussed the intercalation effects in electronics, optoelectronics, magnetism, energy storage, and related applications. This review discusses the effect of intercalation on the atomic level and intrinsic properties of 2D materials from a microscopic perspective, including changes in interlayer interactions, reconstruction of in-plane bonding, shifts of Fermi level and changes in electronic band structure, as well as tuning in spin-orbit effects and lattice parameters. The research team first discusses intercalation strategies, then presents the atomic and intrinsic effects of intercalation in 2D materials. Moreover, examples of in situ studies of intercalation in 2D materials are provided, and finally, thoughts and directions for the future of intercalation in 2D materials are detailed.

More information: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41570-024-00605-2